A group of young farmers have raised over £30,000 for their local air ambulance by pulling a replica helicopter 77 miles.
Drigg Young Farmers Club pulled the replica of the Great North Air Ambulance Service’s helicopter, from their village to the service’s base in Langwathby, near Penrith on 19 and 20 July.
Over 80 members, the youngest being 11, along with older advisory members and friends of the club helped out, with around 75 people pulling and pushing the helicopter over the two days.
They were supported by a team of stewards who marshalled the roads and transported the pushing teams to various stages along the route.
The helicopter was made by one of the group’s advisory members who spent around four months transforming a car, using a range of materials and paint, and they affectionately called it Welly the Heli.
The cost to source, transport and transform the car into a replica helicopter was supported by the Fawcett families, Colin W Parker Ltd Haulage, Holt motorcycles and Thomas Graham & Sons.
Sarah Fawcett, of Drigg YFC, said: “It all started with ideas last August about a big fundraiser as the last one was 15 years ago.
“Once we decided the air ambulance was our charity the idea of pushing a helicopter evolved. Making the helicopter was where the head-scratching started and deciding on the correct vehicle to make it look as realistic as possible and pushable too. In January a Suzuki Wagon R arrived and the transformation began.”
While work was going on behind the scenes, the fundraising began with over £2,000 being raised in a muck haul, which involved selling muck to people in local villages.
The club then held a helicopter-themed beetle drive, Mother’s Day afternoon tea, a race night and a tractor run.
Mrs Fawcett said: “In April, after many hours in the workshop, the car was revealed to the members and we suddenly realised how difficult the challenge was that we had set ourselves.
“In May we started regular training sessions practising at a members’ farm using the farm track which fortunately provided us with a steep hill to work out how best to get it to the top as quickly as possible.”
The pushing team’s first real road run was to Drigg Gala in June before heading to Whitehaven Rugby League and Whitehaven Golf Club where they encountered hail, heat waves and torrential downpours.
The club decided to support the air ambulance during this challenge after seeing how the service had helped several members, friends, and relatives of Drigg YFC.
Mrs Fawcett said: “We chose the air ambulance as we all have friends or family that have unfortunately had to make use of the service and with it being completely reliant on charitable donations we wanted to give something back to this life-saving, essential service in our local area.
“One of our members was airlifted last year after a horse-riding accident and joined us to push the helicopter.”
The route for Welly the Heli started at Drigg Village Hall before going through the local villages of Seascale, Gosforth, Beckermet and St. Bees and then further afield through Whitehaven, Workington, Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith.
Members of the public lined the streets to cheer them on and several kindly dropped donations in the collection buckets as they passed through.
They reached their final destination point on Sunday afternoon at the air ambulance’s base in Langwathby, where they celebrated raising more than £30,000, which is enough to fund a full day of operations at the charity.
Mrs Fawcett said: “It has been really overwhelming as we set off with a £10,000 target, which after the Muck Haul we raised to £20,000 and then our target stood at £30,000 which we’ve surpassed.
“In addition to our sponsored push we have a charity auction planned for 23 August where we have a variety of items for sale, from an afternoon tea, a pressure washer, and signed Man Utd shirt to some livestock.
“We can’t believe how much support we’ve received from the numerous local businesses, including cash donations and items for the auction, as well as the items we needed on the day, such as food and vehicles, and then the many individuals that have supported us too.”
Deborah Usher, community fundraiser at the service, added: “We are absolutely blown away by the incredible effort and determination shown by the Drigg Young Farmers Club.
“Pushing a one-tonne replica helicopter is no small feat and we applaud their commitment to going the extra mile, quite literally, to support their local air ambulance service. The money they’ve raised will make a real difference in our community and help our critical care team continue to save lives across the region.”
